I said before that I was going to do some of these decade posts and then never did. So I figured better late than never. It's still only February, after all. So here's my top twelve favorite games of the last decade. It was originally going to be ten, but just couldn't knock off those last two.
12. Sonic Adventure 2
I personally only owned the Gamecube version, but so did everyone I knew. I don't know what it was about this game that was so awesome, but I played it, you played it, and everyone you know played it. And then it all went downhill from there. Actually, I quite believe it was downhill before SA2 as well. This is the single best 3D Sonic game ever made. I fail to see how the very broken Sonic Adventure was regarded higher. That one sucked ass. But this one was awesome! I remember spending countless hours trying to get make it past those final few levels. Maybe it was because I was young and stupid back then, or maybe this game just legitimately rocked, but I played the hell it out it! Even the stupid treasure hunting parts. I remember kind of liking that, actually, that each character played differently. And on top of that you play the game from two different perspectives. It's probably the only time you'll ever play as Eggman, too. And to top it all off there was that awesome Chao raising minigame. Actually, it seemed less like a minigame and more like a two for one, second game free kind of deal. I sure did spend a lot of time raising those stupid things to either be ultimately good, evil, or neutral. What a terrific wast of my life that was!
11. Pokemon Silver
Man, I can't believe this was back in the days of Gameboy Color. It doesn't even seem that long ago. Pokemon Gold and Silver (note I just put Silver here because it was the one I played) are not arguably the best Pokemon games, they
are the best Pokemon games. Not only did they have the best batch of new Pokemon, but they added an enormous amount of new features from the last game, something that none of the other games have quite done since. Ruby and Sapphire were massive steps backwards and Diamond and Pearl didn't add much that Gold and Silver didn't have. And besides that, they've added a bunch of useless crap that nobody cares about. Beauty contestes? Berries? Two on two battles? Team Galactic? No. This game added awesome new monsters without overdoing it, a real time clock, new types (why the hell has this never been done since!?), a new world with the ability to travel back to the last game's world- it was two games in one! And, most of all, it was probably the last game in which you could actually catch 'em all without needing to attend special events or buying six different games. These games were so badass they even made a fancy new logo for them! And who didn't love transfer cables?
10. Gears of War 2
The first Gears of War pretty much revolutionized third person shooters somehow. I don't know how, but ever since it seems that third person shooters have modeled themselves after it ever since. I put the second game on the list because it's one of the best sequels I've ever played. I mean, it improved upon the first game in every way possible. That's something most sequels just don't do. They're mostly more of the same with new paint รก la Call of Duty. But Gears 2 was something more. The soundtrack was better, the gameplay was smoother, the scale was bigger, the story was better, and it had tons of new weapons, vehicles, enemies, and characters. Gears 2 makes this list not because I played it to death, but because it blew me away the very first time.
9. Batman: Arkham Asylum
This game may have only come out at the very end of the decade, but it's also one of the best. This game absolutely captivated me in a way no other game has. Not even BioShock. Everything about this game was just perfect. The developers really did their homework with this one and the result is a spectacular Batman game that really captures the spirit of the franchise. That they nabbed the actors from Batman: The Animated Series certainly helped as well. Mark Hamill is phenomenal in this game, as are Kevin Conroy and Arleen Sorkin. But it wasn't just that it was a superb Batman game, it was the single best licensed game ever made. And it wasn't just the single best licensed game ever made, it was a great game in it's own right. In short, this wasn't just a great batman game, it was a great video game. On one final note, it was Arkham Asylum that really makes Fables 2's flaws that much more apparent. Arkham had a fantastically simplistic one button combat system, the very kind of combat that Fable 2 tried to employ but failed at. The gameplay in Arkham is soo god, I might even go as far as to say it has one of the best combat systems yet developed.
8. Borderlands
Borderlands is another recent release, but another great one. This one makes the list because it's probably the best cooperative game to come out in the past ten years. It's the go-to game whenever I have friends around, and it's also fantastic online. Gearbox is also showing substantial support for the game post release with periodic updates and downloadable content, the newest of which was released just the other day. Borderlands seems like the kind of game with limitless DLC potential and one that we'll all be playing (and replaying) for years to come. That is, until the sequel comes out.
7. Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus was one of the best games on the PS2, and one I don't think enough people played. This was the game for people who love boss battles. My only complaint was that that was basically the entire game. Which would have been alright had the world not been completely barren and lonely. Once you found the realm of the Colossus, however, the magica began. Each giant stone being was like a giant puzzle; you had to use a different strategy to take each one down. The battles were truly epic. It was something that hadn't really been until then and hasn't really been done since. It seems that some games have been trying, ever since, to make their bosses larger and more epic, yet failing to capture the magic of Shadow of the Colossus. Unique. Brilliant. Challenging. Fun.
6. Animal Crossing
Oh man, this one brings back memories! What a great way to waste my life this was! I spent
so much time playing this way back. I must have played it for a year straight. The only problem was that after I had played it for a year straight there really wasn't anything more to do and I, well, stopped. I came back years later only to find the place invaded with weeds and concerned neighbors who thought I had died. I'm not sure anyone can quite explain what it was that was so captivating about this game but we all sure as hell wanted to pay off that house. Looking back, it's really not that great, but it was extremely addictive somehow. But it was pretty much only this one that I loved. The DS version kind of ruined it with the whole "roundness" thing, and the Wii version was basically the same as the DS version. This is by far the definitive one. And remember the support for all those useless Nintendo accessories? The e-Reader? The Gameboy Advance connection cable? Fond, fond memories all.
5. Fable
Back in the day, I never used to finish games. The indication that a game was truly great was if I played it through entirely. Fable was one of those rare games. It's sad to me that Fable 2 sucked so much when the original was so great. I remember the disappointment people had over the broken promises of Perter Molyneux, but I didn't care what he didn't deliver because what he did was great. Maybe that's what made Fable so good. Fable 2 seemed to deliver on a lot more things than the original and it sucked ass. Perhaps broken promises are a good thing sometimes. It may not have tired to earth-shatteringly break the RPG mold like it's sequel, but it didn't have to. The morality system with physical transformation, weapon augmentation, and expressions were good enough to craft one of my favorite RPGs of all time. I just kind of disregard Fable 2 and pretend that the original stands alone. It's better that way.
4. Jade Empire
Jade Empire, in my opinion, is BioWare's finest work. Better than Madd Effect, better than KOTOR, better than Dragon Age. It's the only RPG I've ever played through more than once. Playing it again recently, I have confirmed that it's just as good today as it was five years ago. Sure, it may have an oldschool dialog system, but it's got more endings than most games do today. Two friends and I played through this game and all got different evil endings. I think it's an especially great game to play through years later like I did. It's familiar yet fresh enough to seem like a new experience. The two things that really make this game stand out are the combat and the atmosphere. It's got a pretty unique world based on Asian culture that, surprisingly, hasn't been done much in mainstream RPGs. The combat was fluid, interesting, and very fun. The characters were extremely memorable. It's hard to explain exactly why this game is so spectacular, so I suggest you play it yourself. It's downloadable now over Xbox Live.
3. Halo: Combat Evolved
It's often forgotten that the original Halo had a subtitle. I know I always forget. But it's a subtle reminder of how the game stand apart. The next two games had no subtitles. In fact, they were know simply as numbers in a lot of publicity. This game really had something that no other halo game has had since: it's a much more intimate experience. The sequels have since gotten progressively grander and more epic. Listening to the original soundtrack, I was flooded with nostalgia. One man on an alien world against hordes of the enemy and all odds. It wasn't a huge struggle for humanity at that point, it was just the adventure of one man. ODST came close and Reach promises something new, but I get the feeling it'll be something completely different all together. In a way it might even be grander than Halo 3. But I actually don't think Halo fans quite want that. They want Combat Evolved again. But we all know that will never happen. Luckily, we'll always have the original. And on one last note, this was before the days of Xbox Live. There was more focus on the campaign by gamers than the multiplayer. Online multiplayer ruins franchises, I tell you!
2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
I never finished Oblivion. In fact, I'm still working on it. This game was huge. I'm not sure if there's ever been a game bigger than Oblivion was, especially with all the DLC. It's strange because I absolutely hated the third Elder Scrolls game. I wanted to like it, I really did, but it played like crap. Oblivion sure did improve things quite a bit! I honestly never thought I'd play a first person RPG, let alone have one be my second favorite game. But it actually wan't a turn off at all. In fact, playing the game in third person was the equivalent of a crap sandwich deep friend in diarrhea juice. Give that image a second to fade out of your mind. Alright, then. Anyway, the game played great (in first person) and there was just so much to do both with your character and in the world that I still play it periodically today. It was the first 360 game I ever got and still one of my favorites. In fact, there's probably only one game I've ever played more than Oblivion. Not coincidently, it's my number one pick.
Before we get to number one, let's take an obnoxious and unnecessary look back at the previous eleven:
12. Sonic Adventure 2
11. Pokemon Silver
10. Gears of War 2
9. Batman: Arkham Asylum
8. Borderlands
7. Shadow of the Colossus
6. Animal Crossing
5. Fable
4. Jade Empire
3. Halo
2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
1. ???
And now... the moment you've all been waiting for. My favorite game of the decade....
1. Super Smash Bros. Melee
Melee is my favorite game of all time. I've played it for many over a hundred hours. I treasure my old GameCube disk as if it were my own child. This game is 100x superior to Brawl and yet another automatic go to with friends. Melee proves you don't need fancy online capabilities or pretty graphics to be the most fun you'll ever have. Ever. I've been playing this game for over eight years and loving every minute of it. I'm not ashamed to say that I just recently unlocked every stage. This game was a challenge, something severely lacking from Brawl. It may not have the most characters, but it doesn't need them all. No level editor, but who needs one? The single player is much less elaborate. Who cares? All of those things are irrelevant when it comes do to the most important question: is it
fun? Brawl just isn't as much fun. In fact, few games are as fun to play with friends as Melee. Anyone who has ever played it knows where I'm coming from. Which is obviously
everybody. Oh, and it brought us
this. That song has, and always will, make me feel extremely happy.
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